This is one of those little fun crafts you can do with the kiddos to get into the Halloween Spirit! Or... if you are bug nerds like we are at my house, you make them just because you LOVE spiders and what they do for the environment! Either way, you can paint and glue these up in no time. And if you like, get creative and make some monsters, … READ MORE >>>

Since I’m on an inky kick, I realized it was time to break the LDRS Hybrid Inks out of the packaging and give them a go. (These were sent to me for review, but I am not financially compensated by the company and am not obligated to give them a favorable review. My opinions are honest and my own! (Disclosure: affiliate links contained in post) I was sent 4 colors of LDRS Hybrid ink to play with, as well as […]

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Happy October! In some areas of the crafting world, folks are calling it “Inktober” and encouraging artists and crafters to draw, stamp, print and doodle their way through the month. I’m taking it as an opportunity to review some of the inks, stamp pads, sprays and dies that have been waiting patiently all summer. So today I’m kicking it off with a review of the Nuvo Hybrid Inks by Tonic Studios. I’ve had these little “Diamonds” ink cubes in […]

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Heya! It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted…because, well, let’s be honest- I was starting to feel like there wasn’t anyone reading. I post videos on YouTube and see immediate responses- comments, likes, and views. With the blog, it’s slowed waaaaaaay down. I mean, who has time to read blogs anymore? Well, at least a few of you….. because I got a couple of emails wondering if I was okay, or if we’ve moved again (god forbid!)…. so I decided […]

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It’s been a while since I’ve posted (lots of kitchen renovation excuses) and to show my contrition, I want to share some goodies with you! I recently got a LOVELY box of Tonic Studios dies and just had to dive back into Periscoping by sharing the unboxing. Just a quick reminder here- I do live broadcasting via Periscope, and you can catch my live (and chatty) shows there. You can watch them on your mobile device, or on replay on […]

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Here I am with another cool background technique for you to try- the Wax Paper Resist Background technique. The best thing about THIS wax resist background technique is that you probably already have everything you need to create it without heading to the store. Let’s get started! Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. That means at no extra cost to you, if you purchase something through one of those links, I will receive a small commission that supports the […]

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I realized I published this video ages ago, and didn’t share it here. With all my frenzy with watercolor markers- (meaning specifically a pen that has a liquid reservoir in the handle and a brush nib that dispenses liquid watercolor ink when squeezed,) I just had to compare some of the popular brands. So I dug out the ones I’ve reviewed here before: Nuvo Aqua Flow Markers & Jane Davenport Mermaid Markers– as well as some ones that were newer […]

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SAI Japanese Traditional Watercolor Brush Markers- Review & Demo I kind of feel like markers are taking over the art/craft world- every day I learn of a new brand or style. So this week I drug out this set I purchased from Amazon a while ago to give them a look-over– the SAI Japanese Traditional Watercolor Brush Markers. Like other brush-style markers I’ve reviewed (namely Zig Real Brush and Artezia) these markers are traditional barrels filled with felt and ink, […]

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n Rinea Metallic Foil Paper Review This was a product in the “new product showcase” at Creativiation 2018 that really caught my eye- not just because anything shiny/metallic is so in right now (even though it IS) but also because it was paired with some mystical product called Ghost Ink that created a cool effect that you could use with stamping. So I scored a sample at the show, and it’s one of the first products I had to try and […]

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Jane Davenport debuts at Creativation 2018 It’s been about a 3 weeks since I got home from Creativation 2018! It’s taken me that long to recover from a massive chest cold, unpack, and “get settled.” (And I had a kid with an impacted wisdom tooth and house remodeling just to complicate things!) While I put the Creativation 2018 videos up on YouTube, I realized I hadn’t shared them here on the blog. So for the next few weeks I’ll be […]

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It’s that time of year again- Creativation! Despite the new name- Association for Creative Industries (AFCI)– it’s still the CHA tradeshow in the hearts of many of us old timers. I flew in on Friday despite having a massive chest cold. By 4pm, my voice was entirely gone. But even that won’t keep me from attending the events and taking as many photos as possible. The way they are doing the product showcase this year is an upgrade from last […]

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In January 2016 I realized that I was doing tons of craft reviews, but making very little *art.* I decided to try making a little bit of art (or a least a portion) every day, using a tag as a base and started my One Little Tag Craft Challenge group on FB to encourage others to play along with me. After all, it’s small, cheap, and if you hate it you can just throw it away. And if you LIKE it, […]

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Cutting Shrink Film with a Cricut Die Cutting Machine Who here remembers Shrinky-Dinks from their childhood? (Raises hand) Well, Shrink film has come a long way since then and it’s just as fun now as it was then…. and as an adult/ mixed media artist, sometimes it’s SUPER handy as a creative medium. Case in point- I wanted to make some New Jersey charms to make for a present I was working on for our new AFS daughter (she joined […]

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Nuvo Aqua Shimmer Glitter Brush Pen Review from Tonic, Demo & Comparison Here’s how the Aqua Shimmer are described on the Tonic website: Add shimmering glitter details to all of your crafting projects. The perfectly formed watercolor brush nib makes the pens extremely versatile and is perfect for adding small detail or color washing areas. Two glitter gloss pens in each pack. Like the Aqua Flow brush pens I reviewed earlier, they have an actual paint brush style tip: […]

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Arteza Real Brush Markers Review and Demo I’m back today with another review of a marker! This time, it’s the Arteza Real Brush Pen Marker. These are available at Amazon.com currently for $49.95 for a 48 pen set! Here’s the description: Real brush pen set of 48 unique colors for sketching, drawing and painting Water-based ink for watercolor effects Flexible nylon brush tip for fine, medium and bold strokes Non-toxic, meets ASTM standards Safe for children with supervision Create Line […]

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NUVO Aqua Flow Markers from Tonic Studios (review and demo) Products provided for review purposes; however the brand has no control over the content and I was not paid to review them. Opinions are honest and based on my first-hand experience with the product. This post may contain affiliate links. That means at no extra cost to you, if you purchase something through one of those links, I will receive a small commission. It seems like mixed media is […]

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Mini Blossom Die Cutting Machine from Altenew (Review and Demo) I love my manual die0cutting machines- there is something about the immediate gratification of turning a handle a few times and a perfectly cut paper image pops out. No wires, no computers, no fuss! And traditionally manual machines also handle heavier materials more easily with less prep- so there’s that advantage too. For a while now I’ve had a large die cutting machine on my worktable- but it eats up […]

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Hi! I’m Jenny, the co-host of Hands On Crafts for Kids on PBS and the Head Dummy behind CraftTestDummies.com where you’ll find craft product reviews, tutorials, and craft industry news.

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CraftTestDummies is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Jenny Barnett Rohrs is Head Dummy and Pied Piper behind CTD, which focuses on reviews, tutorials, and craft industry news. Jenny has appeared on HSN, Scrapbook Soup PBS series, and is currently the co-host of Hands On Crafts for Kids on PBS.

Copyrighted Content Permission All images and tutorials on this blog are copyrighted material. Please contact me if you would like to borrow any media (photos, video or audio files), tutorials, or ideas from this blog. 99% of the time I would be happy to allow you to use one photo with appropriate credit and link back to CraftTestDummies.com (preferably to the same post it was borrowed from.)